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Some urging Wegmans to allow workers to wear masks and gloves during pandemic

There are already transparent acrylic sneeze guards in place in checkout lines if you venture to any Wegmans location.

And now some shoppers and at least one county lawmaker are urging the company to abandon its policy that won't allow its workers to wear masks, gloves, and other personal protective equipment amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Asked if there would be any yielding to those complaints, a company spokeswoman for the Gates-based supermarket giant said an announcement is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday.

Monroe County Legislator Rachel Barnhart, D-Rochester, wrote to Wegmans late last month and shared her letter on social media. In the letter, she said she had heard from Wegmans employees and their families and they claimed they could not wear masks or gloves at work.

"I did not call on Wegmans to furnish this equipment," Barnhart said. "I did call on Wegmans to at least allow workers to bring their own, if that's what would make them feel safe and comfortable at work."

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At 8a.m., the parking lot is already full at Wegmans on East Avenue in Rochester Friday morning, March 13, 2020.(Photo: SHAWN DOWD/ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE)

Barnhart continued to raise the issue on social media and continued to hear from anonymous workers.

She said the workers she spoke with were scared, both about their health and also the possibility of losing their jobs.

"This posed a real dilemma for them," Barnhart said. "You could continue to work here without a mask or you could go home unpaid, for part-timers this was unpaid. Full-timers could use paid time off."

Barnhart sent an earlier letter to Wegmans, asking about the company's policy of letting employees at its headquarters work from home and providing paid time off for part-time employees. Barnhart said Wegmans didn't respond to either letter. Wegmans confirmed that some workers are now working from home.

Wegmans previously stated it was following guidelines recommended by the federal Centers for Disease Control that called for social distancing, sanitation practices, and deep cleaning.

The company recently announced it was increasing pay by $2 an hour during the months of March and April. It also said it has "long offered disability paid sick leave for all employees, part- and full-time, that is above and beyond all statutory requirements."

Under its COVID-19 disability sick pay plan, Wegmans offers a higher rate of pay on the first day of leave and "eliminates the need for medical documentation from the healthcare provider."

Wegmans also adjusted its hours of operation companywide. Stores in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia, and North Carolina are now open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

It also closed its self-serve coffee, prepared foods, bakery and bulk foods areas.

Market Café seating areas were temporarily shuttered, as were in-store pubs and other restaurants like Amore and Next Door.